FTP/FTPS Upload on Save

Automatic upload to an FTP/FTPS server on every file save. No remote editing — the model is "edit locally, push on save", similar to SFTP-Simple.

Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace, or grab the .vsix file and use: Extensions > ... > Install from VSIX

Project configuration

Two ways to create .vscode/ftp-sync.json:

• Setup wizard (recommended): right-click a folder in the explorer → FTP: Configure Connection.... It asks for the host, port, FTP/FTPS, username, and remote folder, writes the file, then tests the connection. If you click a subfolder rather than the root, remoteRoot is pre-filled based on the clicked path.
• Manual: create the file by hand (see .vscode-sample/ftp-sync.json for an example), then commit it — it's the team config, not credentials.

{
  "host": "ftp.example.com",
  "port": 21,
  "secure": true,
  "user": "mylogin",
  "localRoot": ".",
  "remoteRoot": "/www/site",
  "ignore": [".git/**", "node_modules/**", "*.log", ".vscode/**"],
  "uploadOnSave": true
}

⚠️ ignore patterns use glob syntax (minimatch): .vscode alone only matches that exact name, not its contents — you need .vscode/** to exclude everything inside it. That said, the ftp-sync.json file itself is never uploaded, even without this exception in ignore or with a badly written pattern — it's protected at the code level, not just by config.

The password is never stored in this file. On first connection, the extension asks for it via a dialog and stores it encrypted in VSCode's SecretStorage (per-user, never committed).

Conflict detection (file changed in the meantime)

The extension compares local and remote modification dates before overwriting anything, with automatic correction for clock skew between your machine and the server (measured on every upload from the date the server reports for the file just sent — no need for both clocks to be in sync).

• On upload (auto-save): if the remote file was modified after your local file (e.g. a teammate uploaded from their machine), the automatic upload is silently skipped with an "Upload anyway" notification — no interruptive blocking while typing.
• On manual upload (FTP: Upload to Server): conflicting files are skipped, with a summary listed at the end.
• On download: if your local copy is newer than the remote version, the confirmation message says so explicitly.

Configurable in ftp-sync.json:

{
  "checkRemoteModifiedTime": true,
  "clockToleranceSeconds": 5
}

Set checkRemoteModifiedTime to false to disable this check entirely. clockToleranceSeconds absorbs residual measurement imprecision (increase it if you get false positives).

Browsing remote files

An "FTP Remote Files" view appears in the explorer (below the workspace folders), with one node per configured folder. Expanding it browses the remote tree; clicking a file downloads a read-only temporary copy.

⚠️ This is not a real mounted remote filesystem: editing that temporary copy does not re-upload it automatically — it's just for quickly checking what's on the server (confirming an upload went through, comparing a file, etc.), not for remote editing.

The ↻ button in the view's title refreshes manually; the view also refreshes automatically after every successful upload.

Hovering a file or folder in the view reveals two icons (also available via right-click):

• ☁⬇ Download — downloads to the matching local path (via the config's remoteRoot/localRoot mapping), with confirmation if it would overwrite an existing local file
• 🗑 Delete — deletes the file or folder on the server, with a mandatory confirmation dialog (irreversible, no FTP trash can)

Multi-select: Ctrl/Cmd+click or Shift+click to select several files/folders in the view, then right-click → Download or Delete applies to the whole selection.

Cancellation: downloads (folder or multi-select) and multi-deletes show a progress notification with a cancel button. Cancellation takes effect between two files/items (not mid-transfer).

Fetching the server version of a local file/folder

Right-click any file or folder in the explorer (local, not the remote view) → FTP: Download from Server. Downloads the matching version from the server and overwrites local content — with a mandatory confirmation dialog, since un-uploaded local changes would be lost.

Uploading an entire folder

Right-click a folder (or several files/folders via Ctrl/Cmd+click) → FTP: Upload to Server. Recursively uploads all content to the server, respecting the config's ignore patterns — handy for first-time project setup or after a git pull that touches many files at once. Unlike auto-upload on save, this shows progress and can be cancelled.

Available commands

• FTP: Configure Connection... — also available via right-click on a folder in the explorer; opens the setup wizard
• FTP: Sync All Files — full workspace upload (useful after a git pull or for initial setup)
• FTP: Test Connection — checks that credentials and connectivity work
• FTP: Reset Password — clears the stored password, asks for a new one, and tests the connection (useful after a server-side password change)
• FTP: Toggle Auto-Upload on Save — enables/disables auto-upload without touching the config file

Known limitations (v0.1)

• One FTP connection per workspace folder, reused across uploads (no real connection pooling yet)